Super Simple Salmon

From Rukmini Iyer’s The Roasting Tin: Super Simple Salmon a’ la Pesto with Giant Cous Cous, Watercress and Lemon. 

I knew I already had pesto in my fridge, but what I didn’t know was that it went out of date in 2021. Suffice to say, I binned it and had to substitute it with garlic and herb sauce from Aldi. Innovate to masticate. Turned out quite nice, although I forgot to pour on the lemon juice at the end. Should have been 25 mins, took me 65. 

I didn’t feel like I’d properly succeeded with the recipe, and I’m not one to be defeated by a cookbook, so I made a second attempt. This turned out possibly more disastrous than the first: I finally found some pesto, only to find that salmon fillets were then out of stock. I substituted it with a couple of trout instead. I’ve cooked with these before and they were delicious, so surely… 

This time I made the error of cutting the lemons before grating the zest off. Hard work. At least I had actual pesto this time. It occurred to me, halfway through cooking, I could simply have gone to another supermarket to look for more salmon. There are 3 places near me. This time the whole prep and cook took 58 mins. 

Verdict: disaster. Trout might be a good fish for certain recipes but this combination just didn’t work. I ate a small amount and binned the rest. Grim. 

Hence, I made *inhales* a THIRD attempt, this time with a good portion of salmon fillet that was much bigger than asked for. While assembling the ingredients I realised I’d actually used up the last of the couscous, so went back to Tesco as I knew they’d definitely have it in stock (no matter how dear it is, which even with a Clubcard, is dear enough). Then I started again. 

The process was getting easier. I definitely had all the ingredients *this* time; the process went smoothly and the finished meal was much nicer. 

‘Super simple…’ if the supermarkets allow it to be.

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Workout in the Park?

 

A little different this week – summer weather means it’s worth doing daytime activities rather than 2am bar crawls. I figured, why not something more healthy and outdoor? 

We’ve got a new park in Manchester. We could utilise Mayfield Park for an outdoor workout session, get some vit D and serotonin in while we have the chance, then get soft drinks and a bit of food to replenish. I’ve set up a meetup on Manc Mates, a group I took over a while ago, which I use for non-nightlife related events. It’s quite different to what I’d normally do, so feels like a bit of a risk. Also I’m not a PT. I’m just a guy who works out. Just wondered if people wanted to do that with me. 12pm on Sunday. 

In other news, looks like this 4-month bot surge on the Blogger platform is over. At one point I got nearly 28k views in a single day. More recently I got 700. Still. I hit 2.8 million overall hits recently.

Heat and Memory - the Pitfalls

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Heat is a killer, as we know. British people are unprepared for bouts of overly warm, muggy weather like that we’ve experienced in recent weeks. Neurodivergents – people who have a condition affecting their brain that makes them different from ‘neurotypical’ people – have added stresses. Systems we had in place to get by might need modifying. 

In my case, I’ve gone out and bought factor 50 sun lotion, as anything lower just won’t protect me. (My skin tone isn’t connected to neurological issues, but it’s taken me 40-odd years to realise I can’t go below factor 50.) Over the last few weeks, I’ve been out in the garden, reading and working out. I still forgot to reapply and still got burned. I’ve got memory difficulties from an Acquired Brain Injury. I have my systems to stay organised, but no system is perfect, is it? 

Take last weekend, for example. My sister’s wedding in Yorkshire. I wrote out an inventory of everything I’d need for the 2 nights, including what I was going to wear at certain points. Then I tried to pack it all. The first thing I realised once I got to the first venue – the registry office – is that I’d left a blazer to one of the suits at my mum’s house. No biggie – it was that warm that nobody could handle wearing blazers anyway. 

I jotted a few extended family names and relations into my Omninotes app. 

We went for food. We’d already chosen our meals, and I’d noted what I’d ordered in my calendar. 

Later that day, when we got to the hotel, I realised I’d forgotten my phone charger. I remember looking at it when packing, thinking, I’ll unplug that in a mo and throw it in the bag. Then I never did. Thankfully, Mum had a spare. 

I typed my room number – and parents’ room number - into Omninotes. I needed an early night after that. 

Saturday morning: pollen count was high. I could feel it in the room. I realised that although I’d got my hayfever tablets, I’d forgotten eyedrops and nasal spray, despite them being on the inventory. 

I hit the hotel gym and realised I’d forgotten my drawstring bag with weight gloves inside. I don't think they were on the list. 

Later that day, getting ready for the wedding itself, I realised I’d forgotten cufflinks (also not on the list). Reception didn’t have any spare. I rolled up the sleeves, keeping the build-up thin so it didn’t show too much under the blazer. Looked fine when I took the blazer off later anyway. 

After the ceremony, according to correlating notes and pictures, I had a Fireball Mule cocktail - my first alcohol in 2 months - and had pie and peas from a vendor. Later that evening, cheesy chips. 

Relatives were asking me if there’s a girl on the scene. Well, twist the knife as per, why don’t you. They’re all good people though. Lots of other things happened, parts of which I made notes on, but they weren’t necessarily about me. 

My dad dropped his phone somewhere- we found it the next day by dialling and hearing it ring under a sofa seat. Good job the battery held out. 

When I got home I realised I still had the hotel door key card, so mailed that back to them once I was in work. 

A lot of errors happened due to the heat, a lot due to a break in my routine. Weekends away are key times when I’m likely to forget one thing or another, even with a check list. 

Brilliant weekend, all in all.

Edclub Typing

 

With less than a month to my birthday, it’s about time I looked back at my ‘before 44’ list and tried to squeeze in another challenge. After doing a fitness project last time, I fancy something a bit more studious. 

Revisiting touchtyping is a good one as I spend a chunk of time sat in front of a keyboard. Last time I used BBC Dance Mat, a touchtyping package from The Beeb aimed at primary school kids. It still got me further on than I was, and my speed improved. I got from 40 to 47 WPM.  Today, I’ve stumbled upon Edclub, another online touchtyping package, which is a little more grown up and plain. It’ll do. Here we go… 

Before my birthday, The Commonwealth Games starts on the 23rd July, so I’d like to do a fitness project in line with that, meaning that date should be the deadline for this touchtype challenge. I wondered if I can beat that PB before then. 

I’ve had a crack at Edclub, starting at 34 WPM, and managing to hit 72 very briefly. A quick google suggests 60-90 WPM is a professional benchmark. So, I’ve actually beat my target before I’ve even started the project. My new self-imposed challenge – see how fast I can get before the opening ceremony on the 23rd.

Cocktails, Chancers and Saunas

Great afternoon in Ancoats Marina, in Finders Keepers bar yesterday.

Scenes at Finders Keepers Ancoats Marina Saturday. Cheong orange mai tai. And a Canada Goose eyeing it up.

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— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matttuckey.bsky.social) 5 July 2026 at 21:21

Sat outside in the sun with the Meetup group. I say great, but in actuality, someone turned up without having actually RSVPd on the page. He ordered a drink, drank it, then left the bar without paying. I shouldn’t have done this, but I made a split decision to pay for him just to keep the peace with the bar. 

Found Track, a brewery come serving bar, on an estate just off Oldham Road. I’m not a beer drinker so there wasn’t much for me to slake my thirst, but their pizzas were great. 2 left to Wetherspoons to my crushing disappointment. Remember COVID and Tim Martin, people. He was a twat. 

The rest of us walked to Freight Island behind Piccadilly approach. PBR Streetgang were on the decks, which is a name I recognise from somewhere. I thought it might be Radio 1… Turns out it’s the 1979 ‘Nam movie Apocalypse Now.

 

Didn’t stay out late. 

Today I visited FIX in the Northern Quarter. I got in on a friend’s membership as a +1. Very serene, calming venue with a sauna room, much larger than Oldham Sports Centre’s (which I was in Saturday). Not as hot, but much more organised. 90 minutes allocated instead of 50. Staff applied different oils with orange and other scents. FIX also have 2 on-site plunge baths of cold and very cold. I tried them both for a few seconds. Very quiet venue. No talking allowed. Good to have a sauna experience that doesn't include yonners arguing about Hamas and vaccines, and telling dull stories of their younger glory days. A calming and cleansing experience, physically and mentally. 

Then we got lunch in My Thai, eastern restaurant I’ve had my eye on for ages. Good spicy food.

Wedding Fit: Results

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My sister got married last weekend. Great time in the woodlands of Swillington Leeds. Trees, fairy lights, a humanist ceremony and a range of Yorkshire-based caterers came together to make a magical evening among the oaks. 

Prior to all this: a plan to get as fit as possible in the 2 month run-up to the wedding. Wedding Fit involved no junk food or alcohol and a set of exercises. I was at 86.7kg. Just before the wedding I was down to 81. Nowhere near where I wanted to be, but it’s a start. I also targeted a few things in the gym and made some progress. 

Pec fly was 73kg. Got 77kg. 

Gym Master Pulldown is a lateral movement with palms facing together about 50cm apart. I was at 60kg. Got 68kg. 

Converging Chest Press is a seated machine that brings the hands closer together as they are extended outward from the shoulders. I was at 73kg and ended at 86kg. 

Chest Press is your standard bench press movement in seated position. This was my oldest PB at 103kg from 2013. Prior to a recent refurbishment at Oldham Sports Centre, the bench press was notoriously difficult to get on. The new chest press machines have made things a lot easier. This time I managed to get up to 105kg. 

Lots of Pump and Circuit classes also kept me strong and hammered the cardio, as did a local running route. Essentially, saying no to all the sugary, carby food was the biggest challenge as per. 

Now, a minor break from dieting before I try again to hit that elusive 72.2 weight.

Desolate Manchester World Cup Streets

Yesterday, England beat Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1 in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup. I was in Manchester when it was on, but not to watch the match. Not a football fan. Just wanted to do some 28-Days-Later-style photography of the desolate streets while everyone was packed in the bars.